Myhre Studio

Traditional Session

The traditional session, is for a very specific look in one or two outfits. This is a great session for getting the “grandma” pose or to get the perfect look for your school yearbook.

Men: A jacket and tie is very popular. Darker colors work best such as navy blue and black. A white shirt always works but a colored shirt is fine. Make sure that your shirt fits you The tie should compliment the jacket. If you are not a suit kind of guy, a dress shirt is fine with or without a tie. A sweater is always a good choice with solids being preferred to any pattern. Please no horizontal stripes. Dark tones work better than light ones.

Women. A sweater is a great look for the classic look. Solids work better than pattern and darker colors photograph better than lighter ones. Long sleeves are best. Remember this is primarily a photograph of your face and the light color of your arms will distract from the overall image. A formal dress, such as a prom dress, is a nice look but long sleeves still work best.

Custom Session

This is an indoor color session and is our most popular. Plan on one to four outfits. We spend 30 to 40 minutes with this session so the faster you change, the more looks and images you will get to choose from. Vary the style and color of your outfits. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean that you can’t have a winter outfit. You’ll be handing out wallets all year so include a favorite winter outfit too. We suggest avoiding shirts with writing but one is nice for variety. Jackets, leather, denim or otherwise, are an easy and quick way to add more looks to your session. Cowboy, baseball and other hats are a great addition to your look as are bandannas and scarves.

Men: Bring one nice outfit for mom and plan on smiling. We only need one or two for her and then we can have fun doing what YOU want! A good choice for the “mom look” is a solid colored, long sleeve sweater. No white t-shirts showing under your dark sweater! Your eye always goes to the lightest area of a portrait. If you need to have a t-shirt under your sweater, make it the same tone as your sweater. Button up shirts are great with solids the best choice. Tight patterns also photograph very well. Avoid strips unless it’s really “your look.” A single sports outfit like a football or baseball jersey with a prop like a bat is ok . If you want more sports gear and a few more sports images to choose from, schedule our Activity session. Extra props including musical instruments or weights add to the look and really say who you are.

Women: Vary the color and style of your outfits. One pink outfit is enough. Bring something bright, pastel, neutral, earth-toned. Long sleeve dark outfits have a slimming effect. Sleeveless and cropped sleeve shirts make your arms look bigger than they are. Even though low rise pants and short shirts are popular, bare midriffs are distracting and not flattering. Dark pants and jeans work well for many outfits. Lighter pants are ok if it’s a specific outfit. If you have a denim jacket, make sure you have denim pants to match. A formal dress is a nice look as is a skirt outfit. Bring shoes to match since we will be doing full length poses to show off your dress. The layered look works well. Just make sure your layer colors compliment each other. As long as ponchos stay popular, they make a nice quick addition for a few poses. Barefoot is always in style with casual clothing. We may use our leaf blower for that wind blown look. If you have curly hair, come with it straightened and wet it down and let it go curly half way through the session for another look. We may even do the wet hair look but not until the very end of the session.

Outdoor Session

Our outdoor color session really has two distinct looks. The alley look and the grass and tree look. This is a 30 to 40 minute session and we usually do one or two outfits. Sometimes an outfit will look good both inside and outside so we will do a few inside and then step out for a few more. For the grass and tree look choose casual, medium toned clothing. Portraits created in the grass are often favorites, so make sure you wear something that you will be comfortable in posing on the ground. Long pants and long sleeves work best but are not necessary. Wear colors you see in nature: green, blue, brown and burgundy work best. Jeans and lightweight sweaters make for a very nice look. We photograph seniors in sweaters all summer long. We work quickly outside so you won’t be in heavy clothing long. The alley look includes tan, white, orange and blue walls with many shades of old brick. There are several old stairways, and steps to choose from. Jeans work great in the alley but with so much to choose from, we can match just about any outfit. We’ve even taken prom dresses into the alley for a different look. Leather or other jackets work well as do hats.
Women: Skirts are ok outside but they limit the number of poses we can do. Sandals or flip flops are great since it’s easy to go barefoot for a few. Again, a jacket that you can throw on is a quick way to get more variety in your portraits.

Black & White

Session Although we can make any pose black & white, when photographing for black and white we choose backgrounds and lighting that work best for the medium. We usually do serious expressions but if you want to smile that’s fine. This session includes one or two outfits and is 20 minutes long. Dark, long sleeve tops with dark pants work best but there are a variety of other looks that are nice. Light clothing combined with a light background give a soft look. Textured clothing, like a denim jacket, a ribbed shirt or a heavy textured shirt also photograph very well. Remember your outfit doesn’t have to match in color, only in tone. We may also step out back for a few shots in the alley if time permits.

Activity Session

The activity session is for showcasing your sport, musical instruments, hobby, collection or pastime. Plan on one or two outfits and 20 minutes. If you are into sports and want to show off your sports gear and trophies, this is a great way to do it. NASCAR, John Deere, Green Bay Packers and Winnie the Pooh are just some of the collections we have put together. We also do a number of poses that focus on you and not just your stuff. It’s a different look, more dramatic with some attitude.

Best Buddy Session

This is a fun and quick session of you and your buddy or your buddies. Your buddy can be your relative (mother, father, brother, sister, nephew etc.) or your pet or significant other. Groups up to eight are possible but you and one to three buddies is a easy number to work with. It’s important to dress in similar clothing. Avoid patterns when possible. Jeans work well for pants and shirts that are the same color or in the same color family make for a cohesive look. Black tops always work but are not necessary. Dogs are welcome but please have someone along to handle your pet. Cats are really hard to work with. They just don’t seem to transport well. Birds and snakes are ok too. This is not a family session. A family session is included at no charge but it’s best to schedule a separate session date so everyone will look their best. Clothing for family sessions is very important so please check with us for suggestions.

Location Session

This is an outdoor session beyond walking distance of the studio. Because of time constraints, this session cannot be added without prior scheduling. Time needed varies depending on the location and is usually one to two outfits. If you want your horse, car, truck or other vehicle in your portraits, we will need to do a location session. These are usually the first or last session of the day to allow for additional travel time. Some locations we have used include, the city park, baseball diamonds, football field, train depot, Schoneman Park (south of town with water) and Blue Mounds State Park. The state park is quite large and has several different looks. There is a nice prairie grass area near the quarry parking lot and it’s just a short hike to the quarry area. The swimming area is also a nice area with a beach area with benches, grass and trees. I am an avid rock climber so the top of Prairie Walls is not out of the question!

Your Idea

Just what it says. Your idea, not mine. Come with a dream, an ad, a CD cover, someone else’s wallet. Creativity is the key here. It doesn’t matter how crazy it is, we’ll give it a try. Much of what we do with this session is done on the computer after the session.